A Nobody's Christmas
by thegreatwhitewolf
Summary: A collection of Christmas stories of all lengths that feature the Organization. Included: Jell-O with its own agenda. Pairings include AkuRoku, Zemyx, and many others. Enjoy the insanity!
1. Satan's Tree Part I

Summary: Part I of II. Axel, Roxas, Demyx, and Zexion are sent to get a Christmas tree to decorate The Castle That Never Was. It wouldn't be that hard, except that Fate seems to hate Zexion today.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this. This is merely for entertainment purposes.

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Satan's Tree Part I

Christmas was approaching. It was the time of year Zexion hated most because it was so damn cold and it was the time of year when he was the most prone to colds. Vexen had insisted that Nobodies couldn't get sick, but time and time again, Zexion proved him wrong by getting cold after cold. It was the worst in the winter. He was so miserable.

In the World That Never Was, the Castle That Never Was was undergoing a transformation for the holidays. This was the first year that they were together as an Organization, all fourteen of them so they decided to celebrate Christmas together. It would make them feel at least a bit normal so it was easier to pretend that they had hearts and feelings. Every member was participating whether they wanted to or not, including the newest member, the mysterious Xion.

"Hey Zex are you coming?" Axel broke through Zexion's thoughts, making him cringe when he heard Axel's nickname for him.

"Yes, I'm coming eight," Zexion replied, wiping his nose with a Kleenex.

He followed Axel into Where Nothing Gathers. He realized that he couldn't get into his chair without teleporting and cursed softly.

"Need a hand, Zexion?" Axel grinned.

"Shut up," Zexion muttered.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes." Zexion exhaled softly. "I need your help. I can't make a portal with my stupid cold. I don't have a problem making the portal, but I have no way of knowing if I made it to the right place or not."

"You rely on your sense of smell, right?" Axel asked.

"Yes." Zexion nodded.

"That sucks."

"Yeah…"

"Well, come with me then." Axel grabbed Zexion by the arm.

He created a portal and dragged Zexion through it. They were in Axel's room.

"Eight, what are we doing in _here_?" Zexion asked, confused.

"Well you know we can't make a portal to the same room we're already in so I had to take you out of Where Nothing Gathers so I can make a portal into the room so I brought you to the first place I thought of: my room," Axel explained.

"I see."

Axel created a portal. "There you are."

Zexion looked at him suspiciously. He did not know if Axel was playing a prank on him or not. Axel was prone to playing pranks quite often, much to the chagrin of the other Organization members.

Axel seemed to read his thoughts and smirked. "Have fun."

He shoved Zexion through the portal and closed it behind him. Zexion felt his breath leave him as he found nothing by air. For a few moments, Zexion thought he was being tricked by Axel, but then he felt cold hard marble. He scrambled into his seat and failed miserably. He held onto the edge of his seat for dear life (or in his case, non-life).

_I bet I look ridiculous._ Zexion thought contemptuously. _It's all eight's fault._

"Two, help him," Xemnas commanded.

_Before I break my neck preferably. _Zexion thought.

"Yes Superior," Xigbar responded.

Zexion felt himself being lifted up into the air and he let go of the edge of his marble seat. He floated harmlessly into his seat.

"Thank you two," Zexion said in relief. He always hated heights.

"No problem, dude. Better watch where you portal," Xigbar said.

Several other members snickered softly.

"It wasn't me, it was eight," Zexion seethed.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault you almost fell." Axel held his hands up in defense.

"Enough," Xemnas's voice cut across them. Both of them fell silent. "Now, on the agenda for today…we still need to complete the decoration process of the castle. The only thing remaining is a Christmas tree. I have constructed a team who will go and purchase a Christmas tree from the nearby town and bring it back to the castle for decoration. Six, eight, nine, and thirteen, you will go and purchase a Christmas tree. You will take two, three, and five with you to help transport the tree back to the castle." Xemnas's voice made it clear that there would be no arguing.

"Yes Superior," Zexion groaned softly.

"Two, three, and five, you will be in charge of setting up the tree and the rest of us will decorate the tree."

"We'll go fetch the decorations, won't we Marls?" Larxene said almost too brightly.

Marluxia mumbled something that sounded like a yes. He was one of the members who was less enthusiastic about the whole Christmas ordeal.

He and Larxene vanished. One by one, the other members vanished until the only ones left were Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Zexion, Demyx, Axel, and Roxas.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Axel said loudly. "Wow, my voice really echoes in here! HELLO!"

"Yes eight, you don't have to speak so loud," Zexion muttered, rubbing his temples to stave off a growing headache.

"Sorry Zex." Axel was apologetic. He lowered his voice. "So what are we gonna do?"

"I suggest we teleport several miles away from the town, rent a car, drive into the town, buy the tree, bring it out to the country, and then bring it back to the castle," Zexion said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Uh…" Zexion hesitated.

"Here dude, I got your back," Xigbar said.

He lifted Zexion effortlessly with his powers and gently eased him to the ground.

"Meet you outside," Axel drawled. He vanished, followed by several others.

"Hey Xigbar, wait," Demyx suddenly said. "Can you…do to me what you just did to Zexion?"

"Sure." Xigbar nodded. He lifted Demyx into the air and gently set him on the ground next to Zexion. "I take it you're going to walk then Demyx?"

"Yup," Demyx answered brightly.

"Okay dude. See you outside." Xigbar vanished.

Zexion and Demyx were alone.

"You didn't have to do that," Zexion muttered as he and Demyx started walking.

"I know. I wanted to though." Demyx smiled.

Zexion felt his face grow warm although he didn't understand why. Nobodies weren't supposed to feel anything.

The others were waiting outside Where Nothing Gathers for them.

"Shall we?" Axel asked.

He created a portal and they stepped through. Lexaeus, Xigbar, and Xaldin were waiting with a car they had rented. The plan was for the three of them to wait and guard the portal while Axel, Demyx, Roxas, and Zexion got them a tree, using the car to transport it back to the portal.

So they set out. After a short drive through some countryside, they crossed a set of railroad tracks and found the Christmas tree place. Axel, who was driving, pulled up a narrow dirt road, looking for a place to park. Finally, he found a spot and pulled in. After adjusting several times, he was satisfied with his parking job and they got out.

It was cold and rainy, the worst possible combination in Zexion's opinion. It made his cold ten times worse. The dirt road was caked with ice, an amazing feat considering how warm it was. It wasn't extremely warm, but it was above freezing so there was no logical explanation for why the ice remained. It should have already melted. Zexion slipped along the road behind Demyx. It was raining harder, which made him put his hood up. But it made others stare. Which he disliked.

Finally, they reached the main place where the trees were being sold and Axel (who, despite his annoying personality, had the best people skills out of all of them there) went to talk to one of the men in charge to see what they were to do, which gave Zexion the luxury of looking around at his surroundings more.

They were standing in a small field that had been set up as the headquarters. There was a large tent shielding them from the rain, equipment under a permanent roof and another small permanent building where sales took place. On the other side of the road were several large fields with evergreens of every size and there was another field on the other side of the railroad tracks.

After a while, Axel came back to them.

"Okay. There are three fields that we can choose from," he said, pointing the fields out. "I suggest we try that one first." He pointed to the field directly across from where they were.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Get a saw and a cart," Axel told them. "I'll be right back."

He walked off. Shrugging, Roxas went to grab a hand cart and Demyx got a saw. When Axel returned, he had shed his Organization cloak and gloves and carried two pair of work gloves instead.

"Here." He tossed a pair of gloves at Roxas. "You'll want to use these when we handle the tree instead of your Organization gloves. Trust me."

Roxas nodded and took the gloves. He stored them in his cloak and took off after Axel, dragging the cart behind him. Demyx and Zexion followed. They crossed the road and Axel took the cart from Roxas. He dragged it down a small hill, toward the field of trees. Demyx, Roxas, and Zexion followed, being careful to not slip.

"I think we should split up to make our search go faster," Axel said.

He started walking away with the cart. Roxas followed.

"I guess you're with me." Demyx turned to Zexion.

Zexion nodded. He did not protest: he would rather be stuck with Demyx than Axel, especially after hearing Axel start humming "Oh Christmas Tree" as he walked away. Demyx wasn't a bad person all in all. He was kind and friendly. The only thing Zexion didn't really like about Demyx was that he didn't take his missions seriously. But compared to Axel…

Sighing softly, Zexion wiped his nose with a Kleenex before following Demyx. He slipped on a patch of ice. Neither of them spoke for a while. Zexion soon realized that Demyx was incredibly shy around him. Still, he couldn't find anything to say. He didn't know the Melodious Nocturne very well. He was usually hanging out with Roxas and Axel and Zexion preferred avoiding the company of the latter party. So he did not socialize with Demyx all that often.

The two of them traveled through the field, looking at the trees. The trees weren't very large and they were rather scrawny. They couldn't find any that they liked. They did find a decent tree, though. It was small, but not lopsided or scrawny.

"Stay here, okay?" Demyx asked Zexion. "I'm going to find Axel and Roxas and see if they like this tree. Unless…you want to find them."

"No, that's okay, nine. You can go and find them," Zexion said quickly.

Demyx smiled. "That's what I thought. Hey, can I get you to hold this?" He held out the saw.

"Okay." Zexion nodded.

He took the saw from Demyx and held it while the blond happily trotted away. Zexion shivered slightly.

Despite what everyone thought, Nobodies still experienced the sensations of cold, heat, ect. Zexion pulled his cloak further over his head as it started raining again. It was wintertime, damn it! It shouldn't have been raining! It was supposed to snow.

Finally, Demyx returned with Axel and Roxas. They debated for several minutes before deciding to look a little more.

"Rox and I are gonna head over to that field and see what's over there." Axel pointed to the field on the other side of the railroad tracks. They left the cart with Zexion and took the saw instead.

"I'm going to go over there a minute. Stay and guard this tree okay?" Demyx said.

"Wha…wait. Don't leave me here!" Zexion protested. He sounded childish, but at the moment, he didn't really care. Axel was rubbing off on him, it seemed.

"I'll be right back," Demyx promised.

He walked off. Zexion sighed softly.

"So much for respecting your elders," he muttered, sinking down onto the edge of the cart.

That proved to be an unwise thing for him to do because the cart slid away underneath his weight and he fell onto his back. He gritted his teeth as a pain shot through his lower back.

"Oh!" Demyx came running. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I slipped." Zexion winced as he sat up and experienced more pain in his lower back.

"Do you need help?" Demyx asked.

"I'm fine," Zexion answered through clenched teeth.

He tried to get up, but Fate seemed to hate him and ended up back on his rear end.

"Here, I gotcha," Zexion heard Demyx say in his ear.

Before he could protest, he felt a pair of hands grab his arm and he was hauled to his feet.

"You okay?" Demyx sounded genuinely worried.

"Just fine," Zexion answered crisply, dusting himself off. He winced slightly when he touched his back. He probably had a good sized bruise now. He exhaled softly, then turned to Demyx. "Nine I would…really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to eight about this. He does not need any reason to torment me any further."

Demyx nodded, seeming to understand. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you…Demyx."

It was strange for Zexion to call another member by name. He was so used to speaking to the others formally, referring to them by number rather than name. Most of the older members did. The younger members were not used to such formality and referred to the others (except for Xemnas) by name. Zexion was more disciplined than that, however, he just couldn't help speaking to Demyx informally. It was just…right. It seemed the younger members were rubbing off him even more, especially after spending so much time around them. If Demyx was surprised to be referred by name rather than by number by Zexion, he hid it well. After all, Nobodies were good at pretending.

Axel and Roxas reappeared some time later.

"We decided to get a tree over there," Roxas said, pointing to the other field.

"Yeah," Axel agreed. "The trees are so much bigger and just generally better over there."

"All right," Zexion responded.

Axel grabbed the cart and they set out for the other field. Suddenly, Demyx tripped over a tree stump and fell flat on his face.

"There's definitely a tree stump there," he said brightly, picking himself up without a problem.

Axel burst out into a loud roar of laughter. "Always the accident prone one aren't you, Dems?"

"Yup." Demyx nodded, grinning.

Axel was in a strangely cheerful mood. Given the fact that he was usually surly when it rained and was cold, it was strange for Zexion to see him so happy. He shrugged. Maybe Axel was just an anomaly. Demyx was cheerful, but he was just Demyx.

They continued on. At the railroad tracks, they stopped long enough to determine if there was a train coming and then started to cross. Axel had a lot of difficulty getting the cart across not one but two sets of tracks. Finally, it was clear and Axel went down the hill. Roxas followed. There was a train whistle in the distance.

"Better hurry you two," Roxas called.

Demyx nodded and started across. He crossed the first set of tracks but hesitated in the middle of the second set.

"It's really weird to be in the middle of the train tracks," he said softly.

Zexion, who was behind him, heard the blaring whistle and his eyes widened as the coming train rounded the corner, only a minute or two away. Zexion reacted instinctively.

"Demyx move!" he shouted, shoving the Melodious Nocturne off the tracks and out of harm's way.

"Zex, come on," Demyx pleaded.

Zexion lifted the hem of his cloak so it wouldn't get caught, but it wasn't the problem. It was his boots. One of them got caught and no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get free.

He turned to Demyx, starting to panic. "I'm stuck!" he said desperately.

Demyx rushed forward and started pulling on him to try and get him free. Axel and Roxas saw what they were trying to do and ran to help. Between the four of them, they were able to yank Zexion free. Of course Fate had a sick sense of humor so they pulled a little too hard, causing them to tumble down the hill as the train roared by. They landed in one big pile of tangled limbs with Axel on the bottom and Zexion on the top. After a few confused minutes, they were able to detach themselves and got up.

Demyx was looking at Zexion silently. Zexion was still on his knees, his breathing faster than normal. Wordlessly, Demyx sank to his knees in front of the Cloaked Schemer and then hugged him. Axel and Roxas gaped at Demyx's bravery…or stupidity. Zexion blinked confusedly for a few seconds but when Demyx didn't let go of him, he started to relax. The hug was very…soothing. He hadn't even realized he was shaking until Demyx pulled him into a tight embrace.

"It's okay. It's okay…" Demyx whispered, obviously feeling Zexion's trembling. "You're okay."

Zexion could not recall being held by anyone like Demyx held him now. But it was incredibly soothing. And his scent…

Zexion knew what Demyx smelled like –he knew what everyone smelled like, but he hadn't realized how calming the scent Demyx gave off was until they were close. Even with his cold, Zexion could pick up Demyx's scent.

Finally, he opened his eyes.

"Better now?" Demyx asked softly.

"Yes," Zexion whispered. Demyx let go of him. "You smell…like the rain. I never realized how soothing it was until now."

Demyx flushed. They two of them got up.

"You good?" Axel asked.

Zexion nodded. They split up again.

"Demyx," Zexion said softly once Axel and Roxas were out of earshot. Demyx stopped walking and turned around, looking at Zexion curiously. Zexion smiled a little. "Thank you."

Demyx shook his head. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life by shoving me out of the way before the train came. And you almost got hurt in the process."

"Yes, but you saved my life by freeing me. So we'll call it even, okay?"

Demyx mutely nodded. After another half hour of searching, they found the perfect tree, or at least Axel and Roxas did. It was a goliath of a tree. It was around eight, maybe nine feet tall, by Zexion's calculations.

"Are you sure this is it?" Zexion asked.

"Yeah." Axel nodded. "Come on Roxas. Let's cut this sucker down."

Roxas stepped forward, pulled off his Organization gloves, stored them in his cloak, pulled out the work gloves, and put them on. Axel put on his own work gloves.

"Saw," he ordered, holding out his hand.

Roxas handed him the saw. Axel bent over and started to saw at the trunk.

"What do you want me to do?" Roxas asked.

"Go to the other side and start pulling on the tree. Dem, take Zex back a couple feet because Fate seems to hate him today and if he stays where he is right now, I have a feeling he's going to be turned into a pancake."

"Thanks Axel," Zexion muttered.

"He's right. Come on." Demyx took Zexion's arm and led him away.

They watched Axel and Roxas bring the tree down.

"Timber!" Axel cried as the tree finally fell.

Zexion rolled his eyes. However, he didn't roll his eyes as much when the three landed a few inches away from where he stood by Demyx.

"That was close," Axel commented as he and Roxas went to pick up the tree.

"Yeah," Zexion replied. "Real close."

Axel and Roxas put the tree on the cart and dragged the cart to a path next to the field, in between it and the railroad tracks. Axel and Roxas pulled the cart along, which proved to be extremely difficult because the path was filled with ice.

"Uh Zexion?" Demyx asked. "Maybe you should walk in the snow. It's kind of slippery here."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he slipped and fell. When he didn't get up, Zexion rushed to see if he was okay. In the process, he slipped on the ice and landed on his back.

"Oww," he groaned, sitting up.

"Are you okay?" Demyx asked.

"I'm fine," Zexion answered. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Demyx replied. "A little sore."

"Yeah. Me too."

They looked at each other briefly and then tried to get up. Neither of them had much luck getting up and ended up on their backs again. Axel and Roxas stopped pulling the cart along and came to help. They didn't get far before they ended up falling down on top of each other. They, along with Zexion and Demyx attempted to get back up, but only found themselves on their backs again. After several failed attempts, they found the funny side to their predicament and started laughing. It was Axel who started laughing first and he was soon joined by Roxas, then Demyx, and even Zexion started laughing.

Zexion had no idea what was so funny or why he was laughing so hard, but something was comical about the way he had been bested by Fate time and time again. He knew he looked ridiculous, but it didn't matter. Axel, Roxas, and Demyx did as well. It didn't matter to them. For the first time, Zexion saw what having a true friend was like.

After several more attempts, they finally managed to get up and started walking again, Axel and Roxas pulling the tree along behind them. They slipped several more times because the path was basically one big ice rink.

"Hang on Zex!" Demyx cried, sliding over to where Zexion was trying to stay upright.

He slipped on his way over to Zexion. Zexion grabbed Demyx's arm almost instinctively and Demyx grabbed his arm. Holding onto each other, they somehow managed to get into the snow where they wouldn't slip anymore. Finally, they made it to the main road and after crossing it, they came to the railroad tracks where they intersected the road. The train had long passed and the tracks were quiet now, but Zexion couldn't help giving a quiet shudder as they crossed the tracks. Demyx hadn't let go of Zexion's arm since they had left the icy trail and he gave the Cloaked Schemer's arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

Zexion breathed easier when they had safely reached the other side of the tracks. Demyx finally had the sense to let go of Zexion's arm. They finally made it back to the main place and Roxas went to go pay for the tree. Demyx and Zexion watched the men take care of the tree. While they were processing the tree, Axel went to get the car. When he returned, the tree was ready to go. He and Roxas, accompanied by several of the workers there hauled the tree to the car. Zexion and Demyx crawled into the back. Immediately, his hand went into his cloak and brought out a Kleenex he hadn't yet used and blew his nose for the millionth time that day. His nose was getting quite sore.

Axel and Roxas somehow managed to get the tree on top of the car and secured with a combination of rope they had brought and free twine that was available for customers to use. When the tree was secured, they left the tree place. Zexion was glad to go. It had been too much of an adventure for him.

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Note: (12/25/08) I fixed the formatting of the chapter. I always forget that fanfiction dot net will eat the italics if you use Microsoft Word and you have to fix it manually. Merry Christmas everyone. Chapter 2 should be up shortly. I finally finished writing it up and I just have to finish typing it up. I have four pages to go. Shouldn't take me that long.

3/5/09: I found a couple typos that I just had to fix because they were bugging me.

12/15/10: Found some more typos that needed to be corrected. I swear I'm working on a new chapter. I just wanted to go back and fix all the typos I found. And boy there are a lot of them. XD


	2. Satan's Tree Part II

A Nobody's Christmas

Summary: Part II of II. They return to the castle triumphant, but the tree has its own ideas of fun. And Zexion falls ill and is cared for by Demyx.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this. This is merely for entertainment purposes.

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Satan's Tree Part II

Lexaeus, Xaldin, and Xigbar were waiting for them at the portal, which was in the middle of nowhere so it would not attract any sort of attention, which was pretty much a given. They, along with Axel and Demyx managed to get the tree off the top of the car.

"Hey Zex, here are the papers. Why don't you go and return the car for us?" Axel suggested, handing Zexion a wad of papers. "We'll meet you back at The Castle That Never Was."

"Okay." Zexion took the papers from Axel and turned to Roxas. "Thirteen, would you like to come with me?"

Roxas nodded. The two of them crawled into the car. Zexion had to adjust the seat because Axel was so damn tall and they drove to the rental car place.

"I hate being short," Roxas suddenly muttered. "I feel so damn useless. Can't help with the tree. Can't do much besides be a companion. I just get in the way."

"I know how you feel," Zexion said quietly. "I too am…vertically challenged. I am not much of a fighter either. So where does that leave me? I have no idea."

Roxas smiled. "Well, we vertically challenged people have to stick together, huh?"

"Yes." Zexion smiled a little.

They returned the rental car without any problems and went by foot to a secluded place so Roxas could make a portal back to the Castle That Never Was. They went to the main room where the tree was being set up by Lexaeus, Axel, Demyx, Xigbar, Xaldin, and Vexen.

"Where's the Superior?" Zexion questioned.

"He and Saïx are looking for ladders," Larxene answered from her spot on the floor where she and Xion were sorting through decorations.

Marluxia said something under his breath. He was presently seated next to Larxene on the floor, trying to untangle a long string of lights. Xemnas and Saïx returned with several ladders.

"Ah, six, you and thirteen have returned," Xemnas said when he saw the two Nobodies standing in the middle of the room looking absolutely clueless. "This is very good. You and thirteen can help twelve and fourteen with the decorations then."

"Yes Superior," Roxas and Zexion replied at the same time.

Zexion took a deep breath. "Superior, I…I need to take my medication first."

Xemnas looked at him for a minute. "Yes, of course six. When you have finished…that, come and help with the decorations, understood?"

"Yes Superior." Zexion nodded.

He started to walk away.

"Wait." Demyx stepped forward.

"Yes nine?" Xemnas asked.

"I'll escort Z…er six back to his room. He can't make a portal with his cold and it'll be a lot faster if I portal him back to his room."

Zexion was about to protest, but Xemnas said, "yes, that is a good idea. Very well nine. I'm ordering you to escort six to his room and back."

"Yes sir." Demyx nodded.

Zexion closed his mouth. He knew it was no use arguing. He could not refuse a direct order from the Superior. Silently, he and Demyx crossed the hall and Demyx opened a portal. They stepped through and found themselves in Zexion's room.

Demyx couldn't help feeling slightly nervous as he stood in Zexion's room; he had never been in there before. In fact, there were few who had seen inside the Cloaked Schemer's domain. The rooms had been designed all in the same exact way with a front sitting room, a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The way the rooms had been decorated, however, were completely unique to each member.

Demyx looked around Zexion's room. Across from the door on the opposite side of the room was a pair of large floor-to ceiling windows that were featured in every room. The curtains Zexion had chosen were navy blue, which worked well with the muddy brown walls. It was very masculine. On either side of the windows were large bookshelves that extended all the way to the ceiling filled with books. There were several comfortable-looking armchairs and several floor lamps scattered around the small space. In the middle of the room was a coffee table and there were several pill bottles on the table. They were all empty so Demyx had no idea what they contained. He moved around the small space and was surprised to find even more pill bottles. These were labeled in Zexion's neat handwriting, medicines Demyx had never heard of before.

"Zexion, why do you have all these pill bottles?" Demyx asked, picking up one that was half full. "Are you sick or something?"

"No, I'm just fine," Zexion answered from his bedroom.

"Then why do you have all these pill bottles?"

"I have a weakened immune system so these help me so I don't get sick." Zexion came out. He saw the pill bottle Demyx was holding and took it. "There they are. I was looking for these." He twisted the cap open, took out two pills, and put the top back on. "I've always had a weakened immune system. "

"I don't believe you," Demyx said, watching Zexion taking the pills with a glass of water. "Zex, tell me the truth. Please. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Zexion stared at Demyx's kind face and finally caved in. "You are right Demyx. I am not well. I have pulmonary problems." Demyx looked at him blankly. "I have lung problems. However, there is nothing to worry about."

"You're lying," Demyx said, shaking his head.

"I don't understand!" Zexion was obviously frustrated. "I have not had a problem lying before, making sure everything seemed fine and no one would suspect that there was something wrong with me. I don't understand why you can suddenly see through my lies."

"I don't know," Demyx whispered.

"Well, you don't really have to worry that much Demyx." Zexion smiled a little. "I am getting better. There is no cure to what I have and it can be fatal but it's under control. Vexen has come up with something to help ease the symptoms."

"What is it?"

"It's something normal humans can get. It have to take a special medication because of my…ah…unique situation. Perhaps you've heard of it? It's called asthma."

"Yeah, I've heard of it." Demyx nodded. "Don't you have an inhaler. It's what normal people use, right?"

"Yes," Zexion replied. "I do have an inhaler. I use it frequently when my medication is not enough although no one has seen me use it. I don't want anyone to worry." Zexion reached into his cloak and pulled out something Demyx recognized.

"Wow," he breathed, gently touching the inhaler in Zexion's hand.

Zexion returned the inhaler to his pocket in his cloak. "Remember, you promised to not tell the others, although the Superior, Saïx, and Vexen know."

"Yes, of course." Demyx smiled. "Your secret is safe with me." He didn't ask why Saïx knew Zexion's little secret, although he was sure he didn't want to know.

Demyx created a portal and the two of them returned to the main hall. Zexion went over to where Roxas, Larxene, and Xion were sorting decorations. He was surprised when Demyx joined them.

Finally, the tree was set up. Axel and Marluxia hung the lights first. It took them a while to get it right because Marluxia was so picky about it. After a while, Axel started getting very annoyed at how long Marluxia took.

"Axel, have a little patience. I'm nearly finished!" Marluxia snapped.

He adjusted the lights one last time. Then, he got off the ladder and stood back next to Axel.

"There, now it's perfect!" Marluxia declared.

"It does look good," Axel grumbled.

"Now it is time to start decorating," Xemnas ordered.

All the Organization members grabbed some ornaments and started hanging them, with direction from Marluxia. Roxas, Zexion, and Xion took turns on the ladders to reach the higher branches. Zexion grabbed several ornaments and scaled one of the ladders. With all the exercise of going up and down the ladder, Zexion was finding it harder to breathe.

_I can make it a little longer without my inhaler. _He thought, carefully hanging the ornaments in the appointed places.

He started to slowly make his way down the ladder and he felt his chest constrict.

_Oh Kingdom Hearts_. He thought, his breathing increasing as panic set in. He tightly clutched the ladder so he wouldn't fall.

Demyx was the first to notice there was something wrong.

"Zexion!" he cried, causing the others to look up.

"What's wrong with him?" Xion asked.

"I don't know!" Demyx answered fearfully. "We have to get him down. He could really hurt himself."

"I'll get him," Axel said, stepping forward.

"Be careful Axel," Roxas whispered, watching Axel climb the ladder.

Axel gently touched Zexion's back. Zexion jumped slightly.

"Easy Zexion. It's just me. It's just Axel. Let's get you down, okay?" Axel said soothingly.

"I'm not a child, eight!" Zexion managed to get out.

"Well you're acting like one," Axel responded.

"I can't breathe!" Zexion wheezed.

"What?" Axel asked, confused.

"I can't…oh Kingdom Hearts." Zexion's eyes rolled back into his head and he felt the darkness overtake him.

"Oh shit!" Axel cried as Zexion started to fall.

"Catch him Axel!" Roxas screamed from the ground.

Axel held out his arms and let Zexion fall right into them. The weight of the unconscious Nobody caused Axel to lose his balance and both of them fell.

"Axel!" Roxas yelled.

Somehow, Axel managed to land on his feet with Zexion in his arms.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, rushing forward.

"I'm fine," Axel replied. "But what about Zexion?" He gently set Zexion on the ground. "He's not breathing!"

"Let me see him!" Vexen demanded, pushing his way forward.

He dropped to his knees and examined Zexion. "I must get him to the infirmary! Five, would you be so kind as to carry him for me?"

"I'll do it," Axel volunteered. "He's not that heavy." He bent over and picked up Zexion with ease.

"We must hurry!" Vexen urged, opening a portal.

He stepped through the portal first, followed by Axel carrying Zexion. Demyx and Roxas briefly glanced at each other before stepping through as well. The portal closed behind them. They found Zexion on a metal table. Vexen was hurrying around the room, muttering to himself. Roxas and Demyx stood in the corner with Axel watching Vexen take care of Zexion. They did not understand a thing the Chilly Academic did to him and although they knew it was helping Zexion, it was still a bit frightening.

"Come on Zexion," Vexen muttered. "Come on." Finally, Zexion gave a short gasp and his chest started heaving. "There we are." He injected something into Zexion's arm and he fell silent. Then, Vexen straightened up and turned to Axel, Roxas, and Demyx. "Do not worry. He is going to be all right. It was only a mild attack."

"Mild?" Axel asked skeptically. "He damn near had a seizure and you call it mild?" Axel exhaled loudly. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

"Zexion has asthma," Vexen explained.

"Asthma? No, he can't." Axel shook his head. "I've never seen him use an inhaler."

"But that's the point," Demyx said softly. "He didn't want us to know he was sick."

"So you knew?" Vexen asked.

"Yes, but not for very long. He tried to pretend that nothing was wrong but I got the truth from him," Demyx answered.

"I have no idea why Zexion is sick like this. It was previously thought that Nobodies could not get sick, but he's proven us wrong. I am currently doing more research into why Zexion has become sick like this and how and also if the rest of us can possibly get sick." Vexen sighed softly. "I have given Zexion a light sedative to help him get some rest. There is really nothing you can do for him right now. You should return to the hall and finish helping with the decorations. Zexion is going to be out for a couple hours. I must report to Xemnas."

"All right," Axel said reluctantly.

He and Roxas departed, but Demyx refused to budge.

"I'm staying," Demyx said stubbornly.

"All right." Vexen sighed softly again. "I'm going to go make my report to the Superior. I'll be back soon but if Zexion's condition should change, come and get me right away, all right?"

"Yes, I will." Demyx nodded.

Vexen created a portal and left. Demyx found a chair and set it up by the bed where Zexion now slept. Demyx stayed by Zexion's side all afternoon until he woke up.

"Demyx?" Zexion asked hoarsely, opening his eyes.

"Hey Zex. How are you feeling?" Demyx smiled.

"Worn out."

"I bet. You've had a long day."

Zexion frowned. "I…I don't understand. Why…why have you stayed by my side all day?"

"I'm not really sure," Demyx said uncertainly. "It just…it felt right, like it was the right thing to do."

Zexion did not know what to say.

"Hey, is it all right if I play my sitar for a while?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind." Zexion smiled weakly.

Demyx summoned his sitar and started strumming it softly. He started playing a gentle song. Zexion felt his eyes starting to droop. Demyx stopped playing.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm putting you to sleep."

"No, it's all right," Zexion replied, smiling sleepily. "I like the song. It's very beautiful and it's very soothing. I'm just really tired. Play some more."

"Okay." Demyx smiled.

He picked up his sitar and started gently strumming it again. Zexion listened to the music and closed his eyes. Soon, he was asleep. Demyx stopped playing and watched Zexion sleep. His breathing was soft and gentle and his chest rose and fell with his breathing.

* * *

Several hours later, Zexion woke up. Vexen drew a curtain around the bed to give Zexion an examination in private. Demyx heard them conversing softly, though he couldn't discern what was being said.

Finally, Vexen appeared. "I am releasing him. He's getting dressed."

"Well, that's good." Demyx smiled.

"Nine…" Vexen murmured. He took Demyx to the side. "I want you to keep an eye on six for me, okay? He can be a bit…stubborn sometimes."

"Yeah." Demyx nodded in accordance. "Don't worry. I'll look after him."

"Thank you."

Zexion appeared, adjusting his cloak.

"Are you ready?" Demyx asked.

"Yes." Zexion nodded.

"Six, I'd like you to come in for a checkup next week."

"All right." Zexion sounded very reluctant.

Demyx made a portal and the two of them returned to the main room. The tree had been fully decorated.

"It looks good," Demyx commented.

"Yeah," Zexion agreed.

"Hungry?" Demyx asked, turning to his shorter companion.

"A little," Zexion admitted.

"Well then, let's go and see if Xigbar can find us something to eat."

"All right." Zexion dipped his head in assent.

He did not protest when Demyx wrapped his arm around him. The kitchen was empty when they got there except for Xigbar, who was usually hanging out in the kitchen.

"Hey dudes, what can I do for you?" Xigbar asked when they entered the kitchen.

"Zex and I need something to eat. Got anything?" Demyx responded.

"Yeah, I do. I got just the thing for you. Leftovers from lunch. Egg salad and chips. How does that sound?"

"Good." Demyx smiled. He turned to Zexion. "What do you think?"

"It's fine." Zexion shrugged.

"Go and have a seat. I'll bring it out."

Demyx nodded and brought Zexion into the dining room. They sat next to each other at the long dining room table and waited. Zexion studied his companion further. From what he could tell, Demyx was a kind soul. Not simple-minded, as some would believe. He just acted that way. The others took him for granted and Zexion was sad to say that he was one of them.

"You okay?" Demyx asked, glancing over at Zexion.

"Yes Demyx, I am fine," Zexion answered. "I was just thinking."

"Oh?" Demyx prompted.

"I was just thinking of how pleasant your company has been today. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Demyx smiled.

"Here you are dudes," Xigbar said, coming out of the kitchen with two plates. He set them down in front of Zexion and Demyx. "Anything to drink?"

"Milk please," Demyx said.

"Just water, thanks," Zexion said.

Xigbar nodded and vanished into the kitchen again. When he returned, he carried two glasses with them. He set them down in front of the two Nobodies. Both of them quietly thanked him and he left. They ate in a comfortable silence.

Their meal was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. They abandoned their sandwiches and ran to find the source of the noise.

"I think it was this way," Zexion said.

Without thinking, he grabbed Demyx by the hand and pulled him into the main hall. They quickly found the source of the noise. The tree had fallen over.

"Dem, go and find Xigbar, Xaldin, and Lexaeus, all right?" Zexion asked.

Demyx nodded and hurried off. Zexion stepped forward and started to carefully pick up the shards of the ornaments. The sound of running footsteps made him look up. Roxas, Axel, and some others came running, which implied that they had not been far away or else they would have portaled into the room.

"The tree fell over," Zexion explained before anyone could ask. "Neither Demyx nor I had anything to do with it."

As soon as he said this, Demyx appeared with Lexaeus.

"I couldn't find Xigbar or Xaldin," Demyx said breathlessly. "But I found Lexaeus."

Lexaeus stepped forward and, all by himself, lifted up the tree. Zexion stepped forward and started picking up some of the ornaments that weren't broken to get them out of Lexaeus's way. It was a bad choice, though, because the tree wasn't completely stable yet and started tipping over, right toward Zexion.

There were several cries of surprise. Zexion stood up and grabbed the tree to keep it from falling on him. He got a mouthful of pine needles in the process. Axel rushed forward and grabbed the tree.

Together, he and Lexaeus managed to get the tree back. Zexion helped as much as his short stature would allow him. When the tree was safely back upright and Axel and Lexaeus were taking measures to ensure it was secure, Demyx rushed forward, ignoring the crunching of ornaments underneath.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I…I think so," Zexion answered weakly.

Without any warning, Demyx threw his arms around Zexion.

"Demyx!" Zexion cried, flushing slightly.

"I was so worried," Demyx said, his voice trembling. "I almost lost you again. I've lost count of how many times you were almost…you know."

"I'm sorry Demyx." Zexion didn't know what else to say.

"It's okay." Demyx buried his face in Zexion's neck.

They remained that way until Axel cleared his throat.

"Uh…we're all set here," he said. "It's been nailed down so it won't fall again. Hopefully. And Zexion…" Axel seemed to be at a loss for words, something unheard of with the redhead. "Just watch your back, okay? It seems like Fate is really hating on you."

"All right." Zexion nervously cleared his throat and pulled away from Demyx.

He and the others started picking up the ornaments and the shards of the ornaments. Xion fetched a vacuum and vacuumed up the shards that they couldn't pick up with their hands. They salvaged what ornaments they could and carefully set them on table that had been brought in for the specific purpose of holding the ornaments until they were put back on the tree.

Several days later, Zexion found himself back in the main hall. He did not know what he was doing there. Something just drew him there. No one had bothered to redecorate the tree yet. They were all busy with one thing or another. They didn't care. They were Nobodies.

They could not care.

So why was Zexion there?

He mulled this over as he grabbed the ladder from the corner where it had been hastily stowed. Then, he started hanging ornaments, being extra careful on the ladder and pausing every so often. He was not very surprised when Demyx joined him and helped redecorate the tree, however, he was surprised when Axel and Roxas showed up and started to help rehang the ornaments. The ornaments kept falling off, especially the bulbs, which had suffered the highest number of casualties when the tree fell over. Fortunately, they were cheap.

"Man, this tree really hates us, huh?" Demyx asked.

"Probably hates us for cutting it down and subjecting it to humiliation before it's finally put out of its misery," Zexion muttered.

"That sounds like something Marluxia would say," Roxas commented.

Zexion silently shrugged.

"I officially dub thee, 'Satan's Tree'," Axel said theatrically as several more bulbs fell off.

Roxas and Demyx snickered softly. Zexion rolled his eyes good-naturedly. It fit. He couldn't argue with that.

* * *

Note: Wow, this chapter took SO long to finish. This will probably be the last chapter of this for the year, but don't worry: I have plans for several more short pieces that I'll post next Christmas. The next piece will be called "Beware The Mistletoe". It's going to be Zemyx so if you don't like the pairing, don't read it. Oh yes, and some of these events actually happened to me. Such as the tree falling over and breaking a bunch of ornaments. My dad lifted the tree up all by himself and it almost fell on me while I was picking up some of the ornaments that hadn't been broken so they wouldn't get broken by my dad. I have something planned that has to do with jell-o that is a true story. This jell-o had its own agenda. It was hilarious. So…Merry Christmas everyone and sorry I couldn't get anything more posted. But I'm going to work on my regular fics soon and have some updates ready.

12/15/10: I made some minor corrections to the text and I fixed Saïx's name so the accent (whatever the hell it's called) is properly placed.


	3. Beware the Misteltoe

A Nobody's Christmas

Summary: Demyx and Zexion didn't see the mistletoe until it was too late. And of course, Axel seemed to think it was absolutely hilarious. Zemyx.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this. I write solely for entertainment.

A/N: This got posted way later than I would have liked, but I went right from finishing (and winning) NaNoWriMo to getting ready for finals, which, of course, was very busy, to finals. I'll have plenty of free time (at least I hope so) after finals are over. I apologize right now if the spacing is weird. The blame goes to Microsoft Word, which is really retarded.

* * *

Beware the Mistletoe

It was Christmastime at the Castle That Never Was. Ever since the newer members (those who had not been apprentices to Ansem the Wise, beginning with Saïx and Axel) had joined the Organization, they had started celebrating the holiday. No one was quite sure how it got started, but it was now a tradition. Most of the members were enthusiastic about celebrating it, and those who weren't, quietly tolerated it.

The first of December marked the beginning of the festivities when Christmas music would begin to play and the Nobodies would start hanging the decorations. And that included mistletoe. The younger members were the ones who pushed to have it put up. They argued that it was a legitimate Christmas tradition and Xemnas relented.

Not one, but several bunches of mistletoe were hung. That made it harder for the older Nobodies, such as Zexion, to avoid it. He didn't hate Christmas. He just wasn't enthusiastic about some of the traditions. Like the mistletoe. It was the bane of his non-existence.

He spent most of his time and energy avoiding the balls of misery and he was always watching his step to make sure if he had to go anywhere near them, he did not get stuck underneath them. He refused to share the fate of those stuck under the mistletoe with another.

The fourteen Nobodies of the Castle That Never Was lounged in the commons area after dinner. It was a habit they had become accustomed to. All of them were there, which was rare—Vexen was usually hiding in his lab and Zexion was usually hiding in the library or wherever else he hid; no one really knew for sure. And wherever Zexion was, Lexaeus was with him. Yet all of them were there. Not to mention Xemnas, who rarely graced them with his presence besides at meetings and meals.

He and Saïx sat in a corner with Xaldin and Vexen, discussing something or other. Zexion was reading an extremely thick book on the couch, Lexaeus next to him, just sitting there with his eyes closed. Demyx sat on the couch across from them, strumming his sitar softly. Luxord, Axel, Xigbar, Marluxia, Roxas, and Xion were playing a low-key game of cards. The atmosphere was relaxed and sleepy.

At about ten, the groups started dispersing. Zexion was the first to retire to his bedroom, Lexaeus following him like a faithful guard dog. Demyx left second, and others soon followed. Soon, the only ones left of the card players were Luxord, Axel, Roxas, and Xigbar.

As soon as they were sure Xemnas and the others had gone to bed, the alcohol was brought out, courtesy of Luxord. Drinking was not forbidden in the Organization, but it was still frowned upon. So it was easier to avoid any…complications if they drank after everyone had gone to bed, and kept it down.

Drinks were passed around and cards were dealt. The game was poker, Luxord's favorite. The first few hands were played quietly, with each player concentrating on his cards and the game at hand. As the game progressed, and more alcohol was consumed, the players became more at ease and began talking.

"You know, I'm glad Xemnas finally caved on the mistletoe thing," Axel said.

"Yeah, I totally agree," Xigbar replied. "Christmas just isn't Christmas without mistletoe."

"It also wouldn't be Christmas without a pair getting stuck together under the mistletoe, and being forced to kiss," Axel continued, a grin crossing his face. "In front of everyone."

"Yeah," Roxas agreed.

"The only way this is gonna happen is if we force it to happen," Axel said.

"I think we should first decide who we're gonna trap under the mistletoe," Roxas said.

"It has to be good," Luxord said.

The others were silent for a while, deep in thought. When no one came up with anything, Luxord got up.

"I'm going to acquire more drinks," he explained. "The liquor will help us concentrate." He vanished through a portal and came back with several bottles of beer. He passed them around and they started brainstorming.

Several hours and many beers later, they had come up with nothing. Ideas rejected included Xion and Marluxia (too creepy), Larxene and Xemnas (both parties would be inclined to inflict bodily harm on them), Lexaeus and Saïx (fear of bodily harm), and Xaldin and Vexen (fear of being turned into an ice sculpture). Other possibilities included Xion and Demyx, Demyx and Marluxia, and Xion and Larxene. Roxas, however, came up with the apparent winner: Demyx and Zexion.

"How mad would Zexion be?" Axel asked worriedly at the suggestion.

"He'd probably be mad for a while, but he'd get over it," Xigbar answered.

"No bodily harm?" Axel asked.

"Naw." Xigbar shook his head. "He'll sulk for a while, but he won't do any physical damage."

"Let's hope so," Axel muttered.

"Just make sure he's not in a bad mood," Xigbar warned. "He might be inclined to tolerate it more if he's in a good mood."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Axel demanded.

Xigbar grinned crookedly. "He won't inflict any bodily harm, but you forget what he's capable of. He can make you think you're a dog named Fluffy if you cross him on a bad day. He's not afraid to do it."

Axel's face paled at the thought. "How do we tell if he's in a bad mood or not?"

"Just watch him for a couple days. You'll be able to tell." Xigbar grinned.

"All right. We won't do it for a while," Axel said. "I'll watch Zexion for a couple days and figure out when is a good time to put our plan into action."

"So you're in charge?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah," Axel answered. "Got a problem with that?"

"No." Roxas shook his head.

"Good." Axel smiled. "If there's trouble, I'll be the one to deal with it. When do you guys think would be the best time to do this?"

"The morning, for sure," Xigbar replied. "Zexion is not really awake in the morning. It takes him a couple cups of tea before he's really awake and paying attention to his surroundings."

"All right," Axel said. "Morning it is." The others agreed. They went to bed.

* * *

Over the next several days, Axel watched Zexion closely. It wasn't easy—he needed to do it without bringing it to Zexion's attention and that was no easy task. Finally, however, Axel was able to figure out a sort of system that would allow him to observe the Cloaked Schemer without being noticed.

Xigbar was right: it wasn't hard for him to figure out when Zexion was in a bad mood, if one knew what to look for. Axel waited and waited until he was absolutely sure the time was right. He and Xigbar did further planning to make sure Zexion and Demyx were caught under the mistletoe. They agreed on a signal that Axel would give when it was time and Xigbar would create a diversion.

The opportune moment came at breakfast one day. Zexion seemed in a pleasant enough mood and Demyx was more spaced out than usual. Even better, they got up at the same time and headed for the kitchen to get rid of their dishes. Hanging above the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room was a small bunch of mistletoe. Axel held his breath as the two of them headed for the doorway. He gave Xigbar the signal. As planned, Zexion's silverware slipped off his plate right under the doorway.

He bent down to retrieve the fallen pieces of cutlery. Demyx was not paying attention to where he was going and promptly smacked into Zexion, sending his silverware flying over Zexion's head. There was a sound of shattering porcelain as two plates fell.

All attention turned to them as they straightened up. Zexion's back was sticky with syrup from Demyx's plate that had collided with his back before falling. His posture was rigid.

"I'm so sorry!" Demyx squeaked.

A miraculous thing happened. Zexion's posture relaxed. His expression was soft as he turned to Demyx. "It's okay."

"Hey guys, look where you're standing," Axel said, pointing up.

Two sets of eyes looked up. Demyx gave another, louder squeak. Zexion went tense again.

"Come on, guys, it's just one kiss," Axel goaded. Zexion growled softly. "It's not gonna hurt anything."

"Just kiss and be done with it while we're still young," Larxene snapped. "Or else." Her eyes flashed angrily.

"Better not tempt her," Demyx muttered. "She's in a really bad mood this morning."

Zexion knew he was right. He sighed quietly and turned to Demyx. They stared at each other for a few moments, before slowly moving closer to each other.

Their lips gently touched. Then, one of them, it wasn't clear who, deepened it. They parted for a moment to catch their breath and then their lips came together again. Their breaths were audible in the dead silent kitchen. Then, they broke away. Zexion turned away, but not fast enough for Axel to see something slip down his face.

A single tear.

* * *

End

A/N: Aw, why did it turn out sad? It was totally intended to be humorous. And there is so a story behind Zexion's tear. I might end up writing more about it sometime.

12/15/10: Formatting and other minor problems have been corrected, including the correct spelling of Saïx's name. And the typos I've found have been corrected as well.


	4. The Christmas Flu

A Nobody's Christmas

Summary: Axel comes down with the flu on Christmas. Luckily, he has two best friends to take care of him.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this.

A/N: Again, I apologize if the spacing is messed up. All blame is placed on Microsoft Word. Sorry, this took me a bit longer to post than I wanted. It turned out to be a lot longer than I first thought. And to think, this all started while I was stuck in traffic with my dad going to pick up my grandma for Christmas dinner. I'm sorry if the details are off at all. It's sort of been a while since I've come down with the flu. I don't remember what it's like. How pathetic is that?

* * *

The Christmas Flu

Demyx woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Axel vomiting in their shared bathroom. Groaning softly, Demyx got out of his nice warm bed and went into the bathroom to see if Axel was okay. What he found when he got there was Axel hanging limply over the toilet.

"Axel?" he asked softly, stepping forward. Axel looked up, his face immensely pale. "I'll go get Vexen."

Vexen was understandably crabby when he was woken up in the middle of the night, but then again, Vexen was always crabby no matter what time it was.

"What's going on Demyx?" he asked.

"It's Axel," Demyx explained. "I think he's sick. He's really pale and he threw up."

"All right. I'm coming," Vexen said irritably.

He followed Demyx back to the bathroom where they found Roxas, dressed in his pajamas, kneeling beside Axel, gently rubbing the redhead's back. Judging by the acrid smell in the room, Axel had just vomited again. Vexen stepped forward and started examining Axel. Silently, he vanished through a portal, and came back with a couple things. He listened to Axel's breathing with a stethoscope and frowned.

"What are you doing?" Axel croaked as Vexen pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and took a cotton swab.

"I'm doing a throat culture. Now hold still," Vexen ordered. He stuck the swab in Axel's throat, causing the redhead to gag. "I'll be back. While I'm gone, get him back in bed." He pointed at Axel. Without further ado, he vanished through a portal.

"Are you done vomiting?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Axel answered weakly.

"All right then." Roxas looked satisfied.

He and Demyx helped Axel up and dragged him into the bedroom. With much difficulty, they lifted him up and got him into bed. Axel groaned and closed his eyes, willing himself not to vomit again. Roxas pulled the covers up and gently brushed Axel's bangs out of his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, Vexen came in through another portal that vanished behind him almost immediately.

"Well?" Roxas asked quietly.

"It's influenza," Vexen answered. "Nothing to be concerned about. Just keep him in bed as much as possible and keep him hydrated."

"What about his fever?" Roxas asked.

"Keep your eye on it, but unless it gets over 103 degrees, we shouldn't worry," Vexen said.

"Okay." Roxas nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

"He should try drinking ginger ale to help settle his stomach," Vexen said.

"I'll go get some," Demyx volunteered. He vanished through a portal.

"What do I do to take care of him?" Roxas asked after Demyx had left.

"As I said before, keep him in bed, and make sure he gets as much rest as possible. And make sure you keep him hydrated. That's the most important thing you can do. Whatever happens, do not let him become dehydrated. It will not be easy because of his element."

Roxas nodded. "Right. Because of his affinity with fire. He loses water fast."

Vexen almost smiled. "That's right. The other major thing you have to do is watch his fever. A low grade fever will not be harmful. In fact, it's actually helpful." He received a blank look from Roxas. "It's the body's way of dealing with intruders. If the fever is too high, however, it can be damaging to his tissues. With Axel, it's even more important you watch him carefully."

"Right, going back to the whole fire thing," Roxas mumbled.

"If his temperature gets above 103 degrees, come and get me right away," Vexen said.

"All right," Roxas said.

"I'm going back to bed," Vexen said. He vanished through a portal.

Roxas sighed softly and turned to Axel. "How are you doing?"

Axel groaned. "I feel like shit."

"You'll be okay," Roxas said softly, gently touching Axel's face. His skin burned under his touch.

Demyx came back with a glass of ginger ale, which he gave to Roxas.

"Thanks," Roxas said quietly. "You can go back to sleep. I'll stay up with him."

Demyx shook his head. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep anyway. I might as well stay up with you guys. I'm sure you could use the company."

"Okay," Roxas said with a smile. "Help me get him into a sitting position so it's easier for him to drink."

Demyx nodded. Roxas put the glass of ginger ale on the small table next to Axel's bed and the two of them hauled Axel into a sitting position.

"I could have done that myself," Axel muttered. "I'm not an invalid."

"I know," Roxas said. "Just shut up and let us take care of you."

"Fine." Axel rolled his eyes.

Roxas handed him the glass. "Be careful when drinking."

"I know," Axel said in a raspy voice.

He took the glass and slowly drank it. Some of the fizz got up his nose and he started coughing, spilling a good portion of the drink on his shirt. Roxas rolled his eyes and vanished into the bathroom to grab a towel. He brought it out and dabbed at the damp part of Axel's shirt to try and get some of the liquid dried off. Axel continued drinking. Once the glass was empty, he handed it back to Roxas and lay down. He rolled on his side and tried to sleep the best he could.

* * *

For the first part of the night, Axel was vomiting and experiencing diarrhea in the bathroom. It was hard for Demyx and Roxas to listen to it. They waited patiently for him to be done and drag himself out of the bathroom so they could help him back to bed.

He didn't say anything, which was very unusual for him—Axel was usually so talkative. They knew he wasn't feeling good because he wasn't his usual talkative self. As the hours went by, Axel only seemed to be getting worse. His fever was higher and he was more and more out of it.

"Should we call Vexen again?" Roxas asked worriedly.

"Let's see what his temperature is first before we call him," Demyx answered, glancing at the thermometer sticking out of Axel's mouth.

Roxas nodded. "How much longer does that need to stay in for?"

"Only about a minute," Demyx answered. "I've got it covered."

He looked at the clock on the table next to Axel's bed, waiting for the luminous numbers to change. Finally, the end number flipped from an eight to a nine. Demyx took the thermometer from Axel's mouth and looked at it. After staring at it for a few moments, he looked up at Roxas.

"Roxas, I need you to go find Vexen. Now." He was amazed at how calm his voice was. "Find him now, okay?"

"All right," Roxas said. He exhaled softly and created a portal to Vexen's lab.

Vexen wasn't there.

"Now what?" Roxas muttered.

The answer was obvious: he had to find Vexen. The only question was where to look. He started wandering around. He had never been in Vexen's lab before; it was a sacred place. He knew he was going to be yelled at by the Chilly Academic not only for penetrating his sacred place, but also for waking him up for the second time. But he had no choice. He would rather risk Vexen's wrath than let Axel's condition deteriorate any more. The other major problem Roxas faced since he had never been in Vexen's lab before was that he had no idea where the hell he was going. He figured he could wander around for a while and if he got too lost, he could always portal back to his room and try again.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind, causing Roxas to jump. He whirled around.

He saw a very disheveled-looking Zexion standing there, a far cry from the neat and tidy man Roxas was used to seeing. He was dressed only in a pair of black pants, his silver hair tousled and his cerulean eyes hazy with sleep. Roxas stared at Zexion's nicely sculpted chest for a few moments before hastily looking away; Zexion was glaring at him.

"What are you doing here?" Zexion repeated.

"I'm…I'm looking for Vexen. It's Axel. He's sick and he's only getting sicker," Roxas stammered.

Zexion frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

"He has the flu," Roxas answered. "Vexen was in earlier and told us that he had the flu. He told us to come get him if Axel's temperature got above 103 degrees."

"Do you know his temperature right now?" Zexion asked.

"Not exactly," Roxas answered with a shake of his head. "Demyx was the one who took Axel's temperature, but when he saw it, he went pale and told me to find Vexen right away. He sounded urgent. He wouldn't have sent me if it wasn't bad. Axel looks really bad. He's barely conscious and he's so hot."

"Take me to him," Zexion ordered. "If he is as bad as you say he is, then there's no time to go find Vexen."

Roxas nodded and created a portal back to Axel's room. Zexion followed. Roxas stopped short, his eyes wide in horror; Axel looked so much worse. Demyx turned and looked relieved.

"Thank god you're back," he breathed. "Did you bring Vexen?"

"No, but I brought Zexion. He's just as good," Roxas answered.

"Let me see Axel," Zexion said, stepping forward.

Demyx's eyes widened at Zexion's half-dressed state and turned away, blushing madly. Zexion ignored him and moved to Axel's side. He placed a pale, slender hand on the redhead's forehead and then turned to Demyx.

"Is there a thermometer I can use?" he asked.

"I took his temperature about five minutes ago," Demyx said. "It was 105 degrees."

Zexion swore softly. "Go and get me a washcloth. Dampen it with cold water and make sure it's completely wrung out. Hurry!" Demyx nodded and hurried into the bathroom. Zexion turned to Roxas. "Help me get his clothes off."

Roxas came forward and helped Zexion peel Axel's clothes from his sweaty body, which was no easy task. Demyx came back carrying a washcloth that he handed to Zexion. The Cloaked Schemer immediately put it on Axel's forehead. Axel groaned and turned his head away. The washcloth slipped off. Zexion immediately picked it up and put it back on Axel's forehead.

"We have to do everything we can to get his fever down," Zexion said.

"What do we need to do to help?" Roxas asked.

"Draw a bath," Zexion answered. "Make sure the water isn't too cold. It needs to be warm, but not hot."

"I'll go," Demyx volunteered. He disappeared into the bathroom.

Zexion sighed softly and brushed his bangs out of the way, tucking them neatly behind his ear so his entire face was visible, which was a rare sight.

"Zexion?" Roxas asked softly. Zexion turned to him. "Axel is going to be all right, isn't he?"

"It's hard to say," Zexion replied. "His fever is dangerously high and if we don't reduce the fever soon, he will most likely suffer from tissue damage." Roxas flinched at Zexion's brutal honesty. "However, Axel is a stubborn jackass with a penchant for surprising us, so I won't be surprised if he pulls through without any complications." He walked over and gently touched Roxas's shoulder, a gesture that surprised the younger Nobody. "Don't worry, Roxas. He'll be fine. Help me get him into the bathroom."

Roxas nodded and moved to the far side of Axel's bed. He and Zexion grabbed Axel's arms and got Axel sitting up.

"Roll him toward me," Zexion ordered. "I'll get him on my back and then you can help me drag him into the bathroom."

"Will you be okay?" Roxas asked worriedly. "He's just so freakishly tall. You might hurt yourself."

"I'll manage," Zexion answered.

He and Roxas carefully started rolling Axel toward Zexion.

"Wha's goin' on?" Axel stirred slightly.

"We're going to give you a bath," Roxas answered.

"A bath? Why the hell do I need a bath? I hate water. You know that, Rox," Axel said.

"I know. It's gonna help you feel better. Right Zexion?" Roxas said. He gave Zexion a glare.

"Yes," Zexion said.

"Wha? Zex is here?" Axel slurred. "Wha's the pipsqueak doin' here?"

"I'm taking care of you," Zexion scolded. "Now stop being stubborn and let us help you."

"Fine," Axel muttered. "Doan have ta be so snippy 'bout it. Oh by the way, Zex, did you know you're practically naked?"

"Yes," Zexion said coldly. "I was sleeping when I senesed an intruder in the lower basements of the castle and went to investigate. I came across Roxas, who was searching for Vexen. There was no time for me to change, as Roxas insisted your condition was serious."

Zexion somehow managed to get Axel onto his back. He grunted underneath all the weight. Roxas quickly came around to the other side of the bed and grabbed one of Axel's arms. He lifted the redhead up with much difficulty and somehow managed to get one of Axel's arms around his neck. The two of them dragged Axel to the bathroom. Demyx was there, anxiously checking the bath.

"Demyx," Roxas called out softly. Demyx turned. "Can you help us?"

"Yeah, of course," Demyx said, abandoning the bath at once.

He rushed forward and helped Roxas and Zexion drag Axel to the tub. They lifted him up with extreme difficulty. They stripped Axel's boxers off and put him in the tub. Axel groaned as his skin touched the water.

"Shh, Axel. Relax," Roxas said softly. "The water isn't going to hurt you." Axel mumbled something incoherently. "I know. It's going to be okay."

Axel thrashed around, trying to get out. Roxas held him down the best he could. Still, Axel thrashed around and got water everywhere.

"This is gonna be a long night." Roxas sighed.

* * *

Several hours later, Axel had calmed down considerably and no longer thrashed around. The floors were now slick with water and Zexion and Roxas were drenched. Demyx, having an affinity for water, managed to keep himself dry.

Now, he was cleaning up the water on the floor, returning it to the tub with gentle sweeping motions. He looked pretty content. Zexion had stripped off his pajama pants and gotten in the tub with Axel to keep him above the water so he wouldn't drown. Roxas was keeping an eye on Axel's temperature.

"Okay," he said softly. "Time to check it again." He moved forward and put the thermometer between Axel's lips. "Keep the thermometer between your lips, okay?" Axel mumbled a response. Four minutes later, Roxas took it out. He stared at it for a few moments.

"Well?" Zexion asked quietly.

Roxas sighed. "It's 100.3."

Zexion exhaled softly. "It's rapidly decreasing. That's good. Let's get him out of the tub."

"I'll get some towels," Demyx said. He bustled off, abandoning his water cleaning duties.

Roxas pulled the plug and watched the water swirl down the drain. Demyx came back with an armload of towels. He spread some of them on the floor.

"All right. Let's get him out of here," he said.

Zexion and Roxas lifted Axel up. Demyx wrapped a towel around Axel's waist, blushing madly. They laid him on the towels on the floor and started wrapping him in even more towels.

"Here," Demyx said, holding out a towel for Zexion, who had crawled out of the tub and now stood in his boxers, shivering slightly. The Cloaked Schemer stared at it. "You look like you could use it."

Zexion nodded and took it. "Thank you." He wrapped it around himself.

"No problem." Demyx smiled. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I'll check," Roxas volunteered. He went out into the bedroom and came back. "It's nearly eight."

"Wow, already?" Demyx wondered.

"It will be time for breakfast soon. The two of you should go and get something to eat. Axel is sleeping and he'll probably remain like that for a while. I suggest that while he's sleeping, you take advantage of it, and grab something to eat. He'll be all right on his own for a while," Zexion said.

"We're just gonna leave him on the bathroom floor?" Roxas asked angrily.

"Yes," Zexion answered bluntly. "There's no point in moving him and waking him up. It's just easier to leave him for now. He's pretty comfortable under all those towels Demyx put down for him."

"All right," Demyx said. Zexion vanished through a portal without a word. Demyx turned to Roxas. "Come on. Let's go and get some breakfast."

Roxas shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Rox, go get some breakfast," Axel croaked.

Roxas stared at him. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I'm only half asleep," Axel replied, smiling weakly. "I insist you and Demyx go get something to eat. I'll be fine for half an hour by myself. I'll probably drag my ass back to bed."

Roxas reluctantly went with Demyx to get something to eat. The dining room was vacant with the exception of Xigbar, who was setting up for something.

"You guys missed the present opening this morning," Xigbar commented, moving several chairs out of the way with a lazy flick of his wrist."Axel too. And Zexion."

"Demyx, Zexion, and I were up all night with Axel, who's sick," Roxas explained. "He has the flu."

"Boy, that's a real bummer, dude," Xigbar said. "Being sick on Christmas and all. How's he doing?"

"Better," Roxas answered.

"That's good to hear," Xigbar said. "I know you dudes don't want to be away from Axel for too long so I'll make you some plates to go. I'm doing a buffet breakfast so everyone can just grab whatever they want. I've got pancakes, eggs several different ways, cold cereal, hot cereal, waffles, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, yogurt, a ton of different pastries, toast, muffins, basically all the different kinds of breakfast food. Oh and there are drinks too. Just let me know what you want and I'll get it for you."

Roxas and Demyx told him what they wanted and he vanished into the kitchen. He came back with two plates of pancakes and sausages.

"Here you are," he said, handing the plates to Demyx and Roxas.

The two boys thanked him and made a portal back to Demyx's bedroom.

"Why are we in here?" Roxas asked, looking around in confusion.

"I don't want to upset Axel's stomach with the smell of the food. We'll eat in here and then go back and see how Axel's doing,' Demyx replied.

"All right." Roxas nodded.

They hastily ate and returned to Axel's room. The redhead was sleeping peacefully, dressed in only a pair of black boxers. Demyx and Roxas made themselves comfortable. An hour or two later, a dark portal appeared on the other side of the room. Axel had woken up and watched as Zexion stepped out, now fully dressed in the standard Organization garb.

"Vexen sent me to check on Axel," he explained at the confused glances the three Nobodies gave him.

"Vexen couldn't come himself, the self-righteous little…" Axel growled.

"I wholly agree with you," Zexion cut him off. "Now hold still and let me examine you." Axel groaned but held still while Zexion examined him.

"Have you tried to eat anything yet?" Zexion asked.

Axel shook his head. "Thinking about food makes me sick."

"You have to eat something," Zexion said. "Something bland, like toast."

"All right," Axel caved.

"I'll go bug Xigbar for some toast," Demyx said. He vanished through a portal.

"Ugh, I feel like death." Axel groaned.

"If it's any consolation, you look like death too," Zexion said.

"Yeah, I bet." Axel managed to chuckle weakly.

Demyx returned to the room with a plate of toast. Roxas and Zexion helped Axel to sit up and he slowly ate the toast. Luckily, he managed to keep it down without a problem.

"That's a good sign," Zexion said. He put a hand on Axel's forehead. "Your fever is lessening. That is also a good sign. It's almost back to normal. I'm going to consult Vexen. I'll be right back."

He vanished through a portal. When he returned half an hour later, he looked pale and drawn.

"Are you feeling okay?" Roxas asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," Zexion answered. "Vexen says that we shoud just keep an eye on his fever and make sure it doesn't start going back up. Also, he needs to be kept hydrated. Stay in bed and rest. You'll feel better in a couple days. You already look a lot better."

"That's good." Axel chuckled. "Because you look a hundred times worse."

Zexion glared at him. "Reassuring as it is to hear your humor…" He swayed, looking sick.

"Zexion?" Roxas asked. "Zexion!" He rushed forward and caught the Cloaked Schemer as he fell. Axel cussed.

"Dem, go get Vexen. Now!" He shouted.

Demyx nodded and hurriedly vanished through a portal. Axel slowly pushed the covers back and got out of bed. It was hard work because he felt so weak. And sick. Still, he managed to get himself out of bed.

"Let's see," he murmured, crawling over to where Roxas sat with Zexion on his lap. "Boy, he looks really shitty. Maybe he got what I have. Boy that would suck. It's not fun at all."

A portal appeared and Vexen hurried out, followed by Demyx.

"What's going on?" Vexen demanded.

"It's Zexion," Roxas answered fearfully. "He passed out without any sort of warning. He has a fever and his skin is covered in sweat."

Vexen rushed over and kneeled down. He did a quick examination and started muttering to himself. Then, he straightened up.

"I'll be right back," he said.

He disappeared through a portal. When he came back, he had Lexaeus with him. Lexaeus silently walked over to where Roxas sat and bent over.

"I'll take care of Zexion now," he said softly so only Roxas could hear. "You take care of Axel."

Roxas nodded and didn't resist when Lexaeus easily picked Zexion up. The Silent Hero silently carried him through the portal that still was swirling on the opposite side of Axel's bedroom.

"Will Zexion be all right?" Roxas asked as Vexen prepared to follow Lexaeus through the portal.

"He'll be fine," Vexen answered coldly. "He has the same virus as Axel. He probably picked it up while treating him. Get Axel back to bed. I'll be back later to check on him."

Then, he vanished through the swirling portal.

* * *

A/N: Wow, that turned out a lot differently than I had planned. Actually, when I first started writing it, I wasn't really sure what I was planning. XD No, I'm not gonna just leave this. There will be a sequel. The suffering shall continue. I'm going to try and have at least one more update by Christmas Day. Maybe two if I squeeze really hard. And if not, Merry Christmas to all and all that jazz.

12/15/10: The typos I found have been corrected and several breaks have been added in so it's not as overwhelming to look at.


	5. Christmas Dinner

Summary: All they wanted was a quiet Christmas dinner. Too bad the Jell-O had plans of its own. Tiny bit of AkuRoku.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this.

Notes: First off, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! The sequel to The Christmas Flu was getting stuck so I decided to take a break from that and write this instead so you would have at least one chapter this year instead of none. Though now I have two more chapters planned out in case the writer's block on The Christmas Flu II doesn't lift. The second one might have to be split into several parts though, because it's getting LONG. So anyway, enjoy the next installment of A Nobody's Christmas.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas was a big deal at The Castle That Never Was, especially Christmas dinner. It was one of the few times that everyone pitched in and helped.

This year was no different.

On the 20th of December, Xigbar posted the menu for this year's Christmas dinner as well as the assignments:

_Roast chicken: Lexaeus and Xigbar_

_Mashed potatoes: Xion and Luxord_

_Green bean casserole: Xemnas and Saïx _

_Cooked caramelized carrots: Marluxia and Larxene_

_Jell-O: Zexion and Demyx_

_Chocolate cake: Roxas and Axel_

At the bottom of the typed up sheet was:

_Xaldin will be in charge of the water glasses as well as the wine and Vexen will be in charge of setting the table. _

On Christmas, after all the presents were opened, the kitchen was relinquished to Axel and Roxas, the first pair of the day, charged with making the chocolate cake. Actually, they needed to make two chocolate cakes, enough to feed fourteen people. However, they were not alone; Zexion and Demyx were there as well, getting started on the Jell-O.

"This doesn't look too complicated," Zexion muttered, reading the instructions on the top of the Jell-O box. "All we need is boiling water and cold water."

"Then why are you here so early?" Axel snapped as Roxas read the recipe Xigbar had left for them.

"Because the Jell-O needs to chill for four hours until it's firm," Zexion answered coldly.

"Oh," Axel said. Under his breath, he said, "That would do it."

"Are you done?" Roxas asked, rolling his eyes. "We have work to do."

Axel pouted. "You're such a killjoy."

"Come on," Roxas hissed, dragging Axel off.

"What can I do to help?" Demyx asked brightly, accidentally knocking over the box of Jell-O. Thankfully, the box was still closed so none spilled out.

"I need you to get two liquid measuring cups," Zexion said, trying his hardest to not lose his patience. "They should be in the drawer next to the sink."

Demyx nodded and hurried off. Zexion inhaled and slowly exhaled. A few moments later, Demyx gave a surprised squeak and there was a loud crashing sound that caused Zexion to wince. He waited long enough to compose himself and then walked over to the sink. As he expected, Demyx was squatting in front of the open cabinet with the top drawer pulled out, surrounded by bowls and other assorted cooking utensils.

"Are you hurt, Demyx?" Zexion asked.

"No." Demyx shook his head.

"Good," Zexion said. "Here, I'll give you a hand with the mess."

Together, they put everything that had fallen out back in the cabinet. Then, Zexion grabbed two measuring cups he had been looking for.

"Here. Fill each of these with two cups of water, okay?" he said, pushing the measuring cups at Demyx.

"Okay," Demyx answered.

He went to the sink and filled the measuring cups up. While he was doing that, Zexion got out two large mixing bowls, a wooden spoon, and two Jell-O molds.

"Now put one of the measuring cups in the microwave and set the timer for six minutes," Zexion instructed, once Demyx brought him the filled measuring cup.

He watched Axel and Roxas across the kitchen, mixing together the ingredients for the chocolate cake. They seemed, well, happy together. Sure Roxas glared at Axel ninety eight percent of the time, but Zexion could still tell how much he enjoyed being in Axel's company.

Roxas stopped the mixer and dipped his fingers into the bowl. He licked the tips of his fingers, then dipped them back into the bowl again, and offered his fingers to Axel. The redhead eagerly licked the batters off Roxas' fingers.

"Yum," he said, licking his lips. He leaned in closer to Roxas. "Almost as sweet as you."

Their lips touched. Zexion turned away. Seeing Axel and Roxas like that, seeing them so happy, made Zexion's chest ache. He focused on Demyx, who was watching the microwave heat the water intensely. Zexion opened the Jell-O box followed by the plastic bag the powder was in, then tipped the powder into one of the mixing bowls. Now all he could do was wait.

At last, the water was boiling and Demyx opened the microwave door. Silently, Zexion handed him a potholder. Demyx accepted it with a grateful smile. They brought it over to the counter. As carefully as he could, Demyx poured the water into the bowl with the gelatin powder. He set the measuring cup down and watched Zexion stir the mixture until the powder dissolved.

"Now pour in the cold water," Zexion ordered.

Demyx did as he was told. Zexion stirred until he was satisfied it was well mixed. Then, with help from Demyx, he poured it into the Jell-O mold. Zexion moved very slowly, trying his hardest to be careful as he moved the mold into the refrigerator to chill.

The second Jell-O was much easier to make than the first, since they knew what to do. It also went much faster. The only problem was finding a place in the refrigerator to put the second mold. They had to do a little reshuffling, but finally were able to squeeze everything in and still close the refrigerator door. Now all they had to do was wash, dry, and put away the dishes they had used. As Zexion expected, Demyx volunteered to wash the dishes, which was fine with him.

He watched as Demyx filled the sink with water and soap and let the dishes soak for a few moments before getting started. He held up the bowl with one hand and with the other hand, he made a gentle sweeping motion. The water rose up and splashed the inside of the bowl. His control had improved greatly, Zexion noted. He could remember a time when Demyx accidentally created floods because he had almost no control over his powers. Now…well he mostly had control over his powers.

As if to prove his point, Demyx made a little too enthusiastic of a movement and water rose up and splashed everywhere, including all over Zexion. Zexion sighed quietly and pushed his sopping bangs aside.

"I'm sorry!" Demyx cried. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's…all right," Zexion said evenly.

"I didn't mean to…!" Demyx wailed.

"I know," Zexion swiftly cut him off. "Just…finish the dishes, all right?"

"Okay." Demyx nodded.

Zexion exhaled softly and grabbed a clean dish towel from underneath the sink and started drying the dishes. As he went along, he put the dishes back in their places. Meanwhile, Demyx cleaned up the mess he had made.

"There, that's the last of the dishes," Zexion said, shutting the cutlery drawer. "I shall go find Xigbar and Lexaeus and let them know it's their turn to use the kitchen. You're free to go."

Demyx nodded and left. Zexion sighed quietly. Even with his acute sense of smell, it would be no easy task to locate Xigbar and Lexaeus. The first place he checked was their bedrooms. When they weren't there, Zexion swore softly, a bad habit he had picked up from Xigbar. This complicated matters even further. The second place he looked was the gathering room. He found Lexaeus there, reading a book. Zexion walked over to him.

"It's your turn to cook," he said. "Have you seen Xigbar?"

"I'd try the gun range," Lexaeus answered.

Zexion nodded and created a portal to the gun range. Xigbar was there, along with Xaldin, testing his new guns. He didn't look too pleased to be torn away from his new "babies", but obediently created a portal and stepped through it.

"Looks like I'm on clean up duty. Again." Xaldin heaved a sigh and turned to mess he and Xigbar had made.

Zexion created a portal of his own and stepped through. He ended up in his own room. He stepped forward with a quiet sigh; it felt good to be back. This room was quiet and dark, his sanctuary. He needed to rest for a while, away from all the loud noises, bright lights, and strong odors in order to survive the Christmas dinner. Zexion removed his cloak, gloves, boots, and socks, and sat cross-legged in the center of the room to meditate for a while.

As the day wore on, the kitchen remained noisy and a lot went on. It seemed like everything was going wrong today. There were issues with the chicken, issues with the green bean casserole, and issues with the mashed potatoes. Somehow, everything worked out in the end and they sat down to a nice Christmas dinner.

Until the Jell-O was passed around.

It started predictably enough with Demyx. He cut a piece off and then passed it to Zexion, seated on his left. Why he was put there instead of at the end of the table where he would have plenty of room since he was left-handed was a mystery. So he was squished between Demyx and Axel, another left-handed Nobody, the only other one, in fact. It was pretty much a given that something bad would happen. And it did. The Jell-O wiggled ominously as Demyx passed it over to Zexion. Despite Zexion's best efforts, some of the Jell-O landed in on his lap.

"Sorry!" Demyx squeaked.

Zexion gritted his teeth and took a piece of Jell-O. Then, he awkwardly passed it to Axel. Again, the Jell-O wiggled ominously before falling into Axel's lap., Unlike Zexion, however, Axel found it absolutely hilarious.

"Apparently, the Jell-O doesn't want to stay on the plate," he said, scooping a large portion onto his plate. "It has its own agenda."

He passed the Jell-O to Roxas on his other side rather carelessly.

"Axel!" Roxas snapped as the Jell-O found his lap.

"Sorry." Axel's tone made it clear he wasn't sorry at all.

Roxas swiftly kicked him under the table, but missed, and kicked Vexen instead, who graced him with one of his famous icy glares.

"Is there a problem?" Xemnas asked from the head of the table.

"No Superior," Vexen answered sullenly. He glared at Roxas once more before returning to his plate.

Roxas offered the plate of Jell-O to Xion, but she just shook her head. Shrugging, Roxas passed the plate to Luxord across from him.

"Here you go," he said. "Be careful, the Jell-O is a little wiggly."

"Indeed," Luxord murmured, watching the Jell-O jiggle interestedly.

He helped himself to a portion of it and passed the rapidly dwindling plate to Vexen. Vexen silently took his share and handed the plate to Marluxia.

"There's not much left," Marluxia complained.

"Aw, quit yer whining," Xigbar snapped. "There's another plate of Jell-O. Right?" He turned to Zexion and Demyx for confirmation.

"Yup," Demyx said cheerfully. "I'll go get it."

He got up from the table, knocking his chair over in the process. He hastily righted it and hurried off to the kitchen.

"Uh, anyone else think it's a bad idea to let Demyx get the Jell-O?" Axel muttered.

A few moments later, Demyx returned, carrying the second plate of Jell-O. Everything seemed to go all right for a while, but then the inevitable happened; Demyx tripped. He managed to regain his footing and even hold onto the plate, but the Jell-O was airborne. Everything seemed to stop as the Jell-O soared through the air and at last collided with the side of Zexion's head. The entire dining room fell silent as Zexion's posture stiffened. Everyone was tense, anticipating a reaction from Zexion. The Jell-O slid down and landed on his plate. What hadn't fallen was stuck in his hair, large gobs of lime green standing out against his slate colored hair.

Zexion was absolutely still for the longest time. Then, he reached up and touched his hair. He pulled out a lump of Jell-O and stared at it for a few moments. Then, with graceful precision, he flicked the Jell-O at Demyx. It hit him squarely in the face. Everyone stared at Demyx, who looked completely bewildered and then to Zexion, who sat still again, his expression completely neutral.

"Zexion…what…" Demyx finally managed to squeak out.

Zexion's lips quirked up into what almost seemed like a smile. "Now we're even."

Then, he rose from his seat and created a portal. Without another word, he stepped through, the portal vanishing behind him. The room remained dead silent for several long minutes. Lexaeus glanced at Vexen and nodded, then rose. He created a portal of his own and stepped through. He arrived outside Zexion's room. He knocked on the door softly.

"It's me," he said. "May I enter?"

"Yes," Zexion replied.

Lexaeus opened the door and entered. Zexion's quarters were dimly lit, though Lexaeus had no difficulty seeing. Zexion sat on the edge of his bed, looking quite ruffled. Lexaeus then understood that the image of him remaining calm had only been an illusion, cast to conceal his true reaction. He looked up as Lexaeus entered.

"Zexion…" Lexaeus said quietly.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Zexion interrupted, shaking his head, sending gobs of Jell-O flying.

"I have to admit, I was surprised you acted like that," Lexaeus said, sitting next to Zexion on the bed. "You never acted so childishly even when you were a child."

"I don't know what came over me," Zexion murmured.

"It's all right," Lexaeus said soothingly. "Everyone is allowed to have an off day. Even you."

Zexion almost smiled "I suppose you're right." He sighed quietly. "Well, I'm going to take a shower and see if I can get this…stuff out of my hair."

"All right," Lexaeus said. "I'm going back to dinner."

The two of them rose and headed in opposite directions, Zexion for the bathroom, Lexaeus for the door. Zexion paused in the bathroom's doorway, though he didn't turn around.

"Merry Christmas…Aeleus," he murmured, almost too soft for Lexaeus to hear.

Lexaeus allowed himself a small smile as he left. "Merry Christmas…Ienzo." He spoke softly, but he knew Zexion would hear.

And that was all that mattered.

Author's Notes

Well, that turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be. But that's what happens when I write a lot of times; my things get lives of their own. This was loosely based on something that happened to me a couple years ago. It wasn't anything real exciting; the Jell-O just refused to stay on the plate. The ending to this was quite unexpected. It just kind of wrote itself. Yeah, I totally meant to have this up yesterday, but that didn't happen. Updates will probably be random and may not come for a week or two because I have finals coming up and the time between now and finals is insanely busy.


End file.
